All in Good Time

Originally a 1965 play and subsequently a film by Irish writer Bill Naughton, this sweet-natured comedy became a theatre hit again in 2007 when East is East writer Ayub Khan-Din adapted it into a present-day British-Asian setting. The story, about a newly-married couple whose intrusive family continually hinder them from having sex for the first time, fits perfectly into this context where family tradition supersedes privacy at every turn, while Khan-Din’s ability to pull big laughs from the clash of British culture and Indian sensibilities is assuredly present.

As one would expect from director Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls, Made In Dagenham), this film adaptation is gentle and funny, although he occasionally misjudges the tone, unnecessarily complicating things with a melancholy bit of backstory. The performances are excellent though: Meera Syal and Harish Patel reprise their roles from the stage production with evident relish, and Reece Ritchie and Amara Karan are charmingly sincere and easy to root for as the young couple who know very little about sex, a rare and refreshing sight in contemporary cinema.

Selected release from Fri 11 May.

All In Good Time Trailer

East is East writer Ayub Khan-Din adapts his own play (itself based on a story by Bill Naughton) about a British-Asian newly-married couple (Ritchie, Karan) whose intrusive family continually hinders them from having sex for the first time. Despite some unnecessary backstory it's sweet-natured and funny, with excellent…